Kamehameha Schools Maui band earns top ratings at festival on Hawaiʻi Island

The eighth grade advanced band from Kamehameha Schools Maui participated in the 15th Annual Kamehameha Band Festival on Friday, April 4, hosted by its sister school Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi Campus on the Big Island.

The Maui band earned the top ratings of I and II, or “Outstanding” and “Excellence” in several musical categories like Tone, Intonation, Technique, Balance, Interpretation, Musical Effect, as well as others such as choice of music, discipline, and appearance, earning the ensemble an overall rating of “Excellence.” The festival featured 12 bands from eight schools and the adjudicators were nationally recognized educators in music education.

This was the first time a Maui school has participated in the festival.

During the band’s visit, Kamehameha students from both Maui and Hawaiʻi campuses spent the day playing games, sharing meals, and partaking in a musical exchange. The students also shared in a cultural exchange with visits to Kahaluʻu, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Park, and the Hawaiʻi Volcano National Park.

“We are so proud of our advanced band haumāna (students) who have had to overcome many challenges over the past three years and used their lunch break for full band practices,” the school shared in a social media announcement. “Mahalo piha to our Māhele Luna Kula Uka (Grades 6-9) band director Mr. Everett Yamashita on teaching and taking our haumāna to this wonderful experience and pushing them toward excellence.”